Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > The Midnight Troupe
Gerard wasn’t too surprised to see Sidney gone the next day. Hopefully he had the sense to limp to the nurse instead of passing out on the quad.
The door banged open. Squinting, Gerard made out Sidney’s outline, followed by a larger silhouette.
“Baby, are you sure you’re okay, Oh my God, you got hit really hard, are you sure you’re okay?” Gerard heard, and he rubbed his eyes.
“Mom, I’m fine. Really. I can stay here for the weekend, I swear,” Sidney said, pulling out his suitcase anyway.
“Honey, your father’s waiting in the car. I’ve already started cooking dinner.”
“Really?” Sid asked, voice sounding tight.
“Yes! I’ve made mashed potatoes-”
“Dad’s here?!”
“He’s missed you a lot, baby.”
Gerard was wide awake by then. Sidney looked tense. “Has he?” Sidney asked, grabbing his stuff and throwing it onto his bed. “Anyone seen my suitcase?” he called, looking around.
“Is that your mum?” Frank asked, rolling over.
“Yeah. Guys, this is Iris. My mum. Mum, these are the guys. Guys, mum, mum, guys. Suitcase!” Sidney exclaimed, diving under Mikey’s bed.
Iris waved. She had the same color hair as Sidney, but that was where the resemblances ended. With a round-edged face and wide shoulders to Sid’s sharp cheekbones and narrow frame, she looked closer to being his aunt than anything else.
“Siddy’s coming home for the holidays! Isn’t that great? He spends so much time studying and playing with friends I hardly see him!” Iris laughed.
Sidney looked over the lip of his suitcase and slowly shook his head. All the boys got the message and kept quiet.
Sidney’s face was a mess of bruises, lip swollen into a permanent sneer and right eye swollen into a bump the size of half a grapefruit.
“Getting into fights with older boys, Sidney, you have to be more careful!” Iris cautioned, turning her attention back to her son.
“Sorry, mom. Wasn’t thinking,” Sidney explained. Snapping down the lid of his suitcase, he waved a goodbye, then turned to leave.
“Sidney!”
The voice itself seemed to swell to fit the room. Sidney stopped moving, then moved in reverse, far away from the noise.
“Uh,” Sidney faltered. “Uh, hi...dad.”
Gerard sat up so fast he hit his head on the ceiling.
“You okay?” Frankie asked. Gerard waved him off.
“Well, Sidney? Aren’t you going to introduce me to the rest of your dorm?”
Sidney swallowed, nodded like a broken bobblehead, then pointed out each person.
“Gerard. Frankie. Mikey. Ray.”
“Good boy!”
“Guys, this is my dad. Commissioner Conrad Gumb,” Sidney said, eyes glued to the floor.
“Nicely done, boy. Was in the army for a spell, then came to defend the home soil! You kids have no idea what sort of monsters are out there!” Conrad said, braying out a laugh.
“You have no idea,” Sidney muttered.
Conrad Gumb was a well-built man with a crew cut. He had Sidney’s light blue eyes, matched with sandy hair and Sidney’s narrow jaw line.
“It’s so nice to finally meet all of you! Sid hardly tells us anything,” Iris said, talking with one hand.
“Yeah. Why’s that, son?” Conrad asked, planting a hand on Sidney’s shoulder. Sidney flinched, not enough for everyone to see, but Gerard saw it. Midnight Troupe had improved his perception.
“You guys are embarrassing. Swear to God, you guys call me ‘honey’ on campus. Know how damaging that is to my cred?” Sidney asked, making eye contact with his dad.
“Oh, stop it!” Iris said, kissing Sidney on the cheek.
“Case in point,” responded Sid, rubbing the lipstick until it looked like another bruise.
Conrad grinned and tightened his grip on Sidney’s shoulder. The color drained from Sid’s face and his smile became strained.
“How’s a nice Thanksgiving at home sound?” Conrad asked, aware of Sidney’s obvious discomfort.
“That sounds GREAT!” Sidney shrilled.
“Connie, he’s got bruises!” Iris told her husband, swatting his hands.
“Well, Sid’ll see you after break,” Conrad said, releasing his grip on his son’s shoulder. Waiting until his parents left, Sidney turned around. “See y’all later. Gerard, there’s a study group when I come back. You in?” Sidney asked.
“Study group?” Gerard repeated, brain stalling.
“Yeah. Be there. See ya! Thanksgiving family time!” Sidney said, too brightly, then slipped out the door, suitcase in hand.
“What’s all that about?” Frankie asked.
Gerard got it. Wow. Was he ever stupid. “It’s a bible group. Mikey, come with me.”
“Do I have to?! I don’t wanna go!” Mikey whined.
“Trust me, it’ll be fun.”
Grumbling, Mikey climbed out of bed, getting changed and starting to pack.
For the next two hours, Dorm five was a tornado of packing.
“Who’s is this?”
“Mine! No, his!”
“What is that?”
“Mine! Throw it!”
Gerard packed halfheartedly. When his parents showed up, he told them that he fell in a ditch on halloween. They believed him. Gerard thought about how Les said that if people didn’t want to see something, they wouldn’t.
That certainly applied to Iris and Conrad. She was certainly oblivious.
Gerard sent up a quick prayer that Sidney and his brother would have a nice, fight-free Thanksgiving, if such a thing were possible for those two.
(A.N. What is this? An update? WHAT? NO! IT CAN'T BE! It is. Updates will probably be happening more and more sporadically since I REALLY need to focus on my grades this year. I wanted to explore Sidney's family dynamic. The end is nigh, though, I promise! I just have several more things to do first.)
The door banged open. Squinting, Gerard made out Sidney’s outline, followed by a larger silhouette.
“Baby, are you sure you’re okay, Oh my God, you got hit really hard, are you sure you’re okay?” Gerard heard, and he rubbed his eyes.
“Mom, I’m fine. Really. I can stay here for the weekend, I swear,” Sidney said, pulling out his suitcase anyway.
“Honey, your father’s waiting in the car. I’ve already started cooking dinner.”
“Really?” Sid asked, voice sounding tight.
“Yes! I’ve made mashed potatoes-”
“Dad’s here?!”
“He’s missed you a lot, baby.”
Gerard was wide awake by then. Sidney looked tense. “Has he?” Sidney asked, grabbing his stuff and throwing it onto his bed. “Anyone seen my suitcase?” he called, looking around.
“Is that your mum?” Frank asked, rolling over.
“Yeah. Guys, this is Iris. My mum. Mum, these are the guys. Guys, mum, mum, guys. Suitcase!” Sidney exclaimed, diving under Mikey’s bed.
Iris waved. She had the same color hair as Sidney, but that was where the resemblances ended. With a round-edged face and wide shoulders to Sid’s sharp cheekbones and narrow frame, she looked closer to being his aunt than anything else.
“Siddy’s coming home for the holidays! Isn’t that great? He spends so much time studying and playing with friends I hardly see him!” Iris laughed.
Sidney looked over the lip of his suitcase and slowly shook his head. All the boys got the message and kept quiet.
Sidney’s face was a mess of bruises, lip swollen into a permanent sneer and right eye swollen into a bump the size of half a grapefruit.
“Getting into fights with older boys, Sidney, you have to be more careful!” Iris cautioned, turning her attention back to her son.
“Sorry, mom. Wasn’t thinking,” Sidney explained. Snapping down the lid of his suitcase, he waved a goodbye, then turned to leave.
“Sidney!”
The voice itself seemed to swell to fit the room. Sidney stopped moving, then moved in reverse, far away from the noise.
“Uh,” Sidney faltered. “Uh, hi...dad.”
Gerard sat up so fast he hit his head on the ceiling.
“You okay?” Frankie asked. Gerard waved him off.
“Well, Sidney? Aren’t you going to introduce me to the rest of your dorm?”
Sidney swallowed, nodded like a broken bobblehead, then pointed out each person.
“Gerard. Frankie. Mikey. Ray.”
“Good boy!”
“Guys, this is my dad. Commissioner Conrad Gumb,” Sidney said, eyes glued to the floor.
“Nicely done, boy. Was in the army for a spell, then came to defend the home soil! You kids have no idea what sort of monsters are out there!” Conrad said, braying out a laugh.
“You have no idea,” Sidney muttered.
Conrad Gumb was a well-built man with a crew cut. He had Sidney’s light blue eyes, matched with sandy hair and Sidney’s narrow jaw line.
“It’s so nice to finally meet all of you! Sid hardly tells us anything,” Iris said, talking with one hand.
“Yeah. Why’s that, son?” Conrad asked, planting a hand on Sidney’s shoulder. Sidney flinched, not enough for everyone to see, but Gerard saw it. Midnight Troupe had improved his perception.
“You guys are embarrassing. Swear to God, you guys call me ‘honey’ on campus. Know how damaging that is to my cred?” Sidney asked, making eye contact with his dad.
“Oh, stop it!” Iris said, kissing Sidney on the cheek.
“Case in point,” responded Sid, rubbing the lipstick until it looked like another bruise.
Conrad grinned and tightened his grip on Sidney’s shoulder. The color drained from Sid’s face and his smile became strained.
“How’s a nice Thanksgiving at home sound?” Conrad asked, aware of Sidney’s obvious discomfort.
“That sounds GREAT!” Sidney shrilled.
“Connie, he’s got bruises!” Iris told her husband, swatting his hands.
“Well, Sid’ll see you after break,” Conrad said, releasing his grip on his son’s shoulder. Waiting until his parents left, Sidney turned around. “See y’all later. Gerard, there’s a study group when I come back. You in?” Sidney asked.
“Study group?” Gerard repeated, brain stalling.
“Yeah. Be there. See ya! Thanksgiving family time!” Sidney said, too brightly, then slipped out the door, suitcase in hand.
“What’s all that about?” Frankie asked.
Gerard got it. Wow. Was he ever stupid. “It’s a bible group. Mikey, come with me.”
“Do I have to?! I don’t wanna go!” Mikey whined.
“Trust me, it’ll be fun.”
Grumbling, Mikey climbed out of bed, getting changed and starting to pack.
For the next two hours, Dorm five was a tornado of packing.
“Who’s is this?”
“Mine! No, his!”
“What is that?”
“Mine! Throw it!”
Gerard packed halfheartedly. When his parents showed up, he told them that he fell in a ditch on halloween. They believed him. Gerard thought about how Les said that if people didn’t want to see something, they wouldn’t.
That certainly applied to Iris and Conrad. She was certainly oblivious.
Gerard sent up a quick prayer that Sidney and his brother would have a nice, fight-free Thanksgiving, if such a thing were possible for those two.
(A.N. What is this? An update? WHAT? NO! IT CAN'T BE! It is. Updates will probably be happening more and more sporadically since I REALLY need to focus on my grades this year. I wanted to explore Sidney's family dynamic. The end is nigh, though, I promise! I just have several more things to do first.)
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